MirrorU

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky | Soviet Union | 1975 | 1h 47m | Russian w/ English subtitles | Starring Margarita Terekhova, Filipp Yankovskiy, Nikolay Grinko, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Ignat Daniltsev

In 20th-century Russia, a poet relives his past in the fading moments of consciousness. His memories unfold through vivid visions of childhood, wartime, and married life, blending personal moments with the broader sweep of Soviet history and the quiet beauty of everyday existence. Using a nonlinear structure rich with dreams and flashbacks, director Andrei Tarkovsky crafts a deeply personal meditation on war, memory, and time, drawing inspiration from his own experiences.

Join us on Sunday 25th May (3pm) for a screening introduced by Ally Pitts, host of A Russian & Soviet Movie Podcast (since 2017).

Reviews

‘Visually stunning, baffling and intensely personal, the result is also impossibly ambiguous – but stick with it. Cinema rarely gets this close to poetry in motion.’
★★★★
Jonathan Crocker, BBC

‘The Mirror deserves a big-screen viewing, with its smorgasbord of memories in dream, drama and newsreel form from the life of a dying poet.’
★★★★
Kate Muir, The Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Mirror between May 25, 2025 and May 26, 2025.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Saturday 2nd August)

16:00

Friendship 15
1h 41m
What begins as a quirky bromance spirals into a hilariously dark tale of obsession and unraveling sanity. Comedian Tim Robinson shines in this off-kilter comedy about loneliness and the awkward terror of modern male connection.

Book here

18:30

Separation / It Couldn't Happen 15
1h 33m + 1h 26m
A double-bill screening of films by Jack Bond: Separation, a bold 1960s psychological drama, and It Couldn’t Happen Here, the Pet Shop Boys’ visionary pop road movie. Two cult classics back-to-back exploring identity, fantasy, and Britain in transformation.

Book here


Tomorrow (Sunday 3rd August)

14:00

Ran 15
2h 41m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Kurosawa’s King Lear retold in feudal Japan: a warlord’s plan to divide his realm brings ruin to all. Epic, tragic, and visually jaw-dropping, Ran is a towering tale of power, betrayal, and the high cost of pride – now restored in 4K.

Book here

17:30

Friendship 15
1h 41m
What begins as a quirky bromance spirals into a hilariously dark tale of obsession and unraveling sanity. Comedian Tim Robinson shines in this off-kilter comedy about loneliness and the awkward terror of modern male connection.

Book here

20:00

Women's Adventure Film Tour PG
2h 28m (inc. 10min intermission)
Experience a bold, exhilarating lineup of short films celebrating women who dare to defy limits. From epic climbs to personal triumphs, these powerful stories blend adventure and emotion in a globally acclaimed celebration of female courage and grit.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!